


In Union is Strength

by TheChelsness



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Bumbleby - Freeform, F/F, Rated T cause Yang and Blake say a bad word, White Rose - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-06-08 17:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6864895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheChelsness/pseuds/TheChelsness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team RWBY is finally reformed, but will they be able to work together again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discord

**Author's Note:**

> I would be guilty of a grave injustice if I did not credit Homyuko for all their time spent nudging me to finish this, being my editor, and contributing some wonderful ideas to this piece. Thanks a bunch, and "I would use a comma here my dude".

There had to be better ways to go about this mission. It was just a scout op for information, but the setting made it unusual, ridiculous even, and Yang wasn't shy to let everyone know how she felt. The high notes of the violins soared above the crowd, dancing among the rafters Yang and Ruby perched in. On second thought, this is exactly to be expected of Ozpin. There always was something off about him, something not of this time. A familiar voice pulls Yang from her reflection.

"All set sis?" Pulling a small flashlight from her vest, Yang flashes it twice over towards the far opposite corner of the building where Ruby is perched. "Yang, you need to answer so I know your com link is working."

"Qrow better be right about this." The twinge of resentment she's been nursing bleeds into the statement.   

"It's not how I wanted this to go down either, but this is kind of their thing. We'd blow the op in record breaking time." Which was saying a lot. According to the archives, the fastest an undercover info op was blown was one minute flat. They knew that because it was Qrow who was the proud holder of that record.

"Excuse me. I'm not exactly enthusiastic about this either." Weiss' harsh tone causes Yang to cringe slightly. Ruby points out that at least Weiss gets to make good use of her high society aristocratic knowledge, but Yang is only half listening, busy scanning the crowd by the door. The fact that Weiss is coming through on the com link means they're here. Finally, the voice she's been waiting for comes in clear.

"Dearest, I thought you were excited about this event?" Yang's stomach drops as she finally locates the pair she's been searching for. The coat man is eyeing Weiss distastefully, but Blake's comment snaps her back into character.

"I didn't think there would be such commoners present." The look of disgust Weiss gives the skeptic doorman as he takes her traveling cloak effectively puts him back in his place. Ruby lets out an audible sigh but it's difficult to tell whether it's relief or in awe of how Weiss looks. The two have been painfully dancing around what was obvious to everyone since Weiss managed to escape Atlas.  

"Well, she sure knows how to play the part," Yang spits, with a little more venom than was called for. Both Ruby and Weiss begin retort, but it's Blake that cuts through.

"Hardly the time or place _dear,_ " she grasps Weiss' upper arm moving through the crowd so the rest of her statement won't draw any more unwanted attention. "Stop acting like a child. If you won't even talk to me then you don't get to be angry." Yang's heart aches, at the same time the searing anger burns through her and she closes her eyes to keep the flames from erupting. Yangfire flaring in the rafters would hardly go unnoticed.

When she finally calms down enough to open her eyes again, Yang catches an apologetic look on Weiss' face but it means little, she has no idea. The quiet apology that comes from Ruby is different and apologizes for things she shouldn't have to. Yang was already bitter and angry when Blake left, but ever since she came back, it's been ten times worse. Yang refuses to talk to Blake and her anger has been firing in all directions since she returned, taking any available shots at anybody else. Mostly at Weiss and Ruby because they've been crippled by their own attraction to one another. It was painful to watch them trying to hide the obvious rather than just get it all out in the open and get together. Ruby being even more over the top than usual and Weiss trying to keep up the ice queen act. It was a sharp contrast to what Yang and Blake _used_ to be. 

"But Qrow is right, you know," Ruby adds, just as softly. That was the worst.

 

 _They sprung it on Yang, probably expecting her to be happy to see Blake. She stormed out of the room without a word. Qrow catching her by the arm just outside the front door. She started yelling about what was it they all expected. About how she'd had enough of people up and leaving her when she needed them, but before she could finish that train of thought, he cut straight to the root of things._  

_"She's not your mother, kiddo." The crater Yang scorched into the ground is still in the front yard. At least Tai Yang managed to get the front door back on its original hinges and added enough dirt to fill in most of the hole._

 

Yang doesn't respond but shakes her head to clear the memory. There were more important things to deal with now that Blake and Weiss were in the thick of the crowd. It was becoming slightly difficult to keep an eye on them, even with Blake's faunus ears on in the open. Everyone is exquisitely dressed, an odd mixture of the classical era and modern-day high society. The strangest juxtaposition of all is the many different kinds of animals represented. Cats, foxes, mice, lions, birds, wolves, sheep, all sorts. Along with the menagerie are a small handful of shepherds and members of monarchy: kings, queens, and princesses. 

Yang hadn't noticed the strange theme until she tries to find Blake in the crowd again. She is drawn to three different sets of cat ears before slight panic sets in. "Do you have eyes on them? What is this, a costume party?"

"I got them, right in the middle of the room. I'm not quite sure, I…" Ruby trails off, sounding slightly guilty. "Do you see Ozpin anywhere?" Ruby adds the last question quickly, trying to draw attention to anything other than the fact that she had just revealed that she too had no idea where they were. Yang snorts disdainfully, Ruby had been distracted staring at Weiss when Qrow was explaining the specifics of the mission. Yang knew she herself was no less guilty. She stopped paying attention because he had started the whole brief by telling Blake that she would need to expose her ears for the mission.  

"The court of Aesop. Once a year the top tier of virtue and vice come together." Blake cooley answers.

"For what?" Ruby asks, confused, but it all becomes clear to Yang. Including the fact that they could potentially be in a lot more danger than either of the sisters expected from this recon op.  

"Aesop's fables. Stories that illustrate morals. They come together to do what they do best. The good guys uphold their virtue and the bad guys lie, cheat, and steal." Yang calmly explains as she finds the other half of their team dancing in the direct center of the room, gradually making their way closer to her.

"Why?!" Ruby finally grasps the implications.

"To see which morals still hold true, which can be dispelled, and possibly form new ones. Honestly, were you really not paying any attention during the brief?" Weiss rests her head on Blake's shoulder to cover her explanation and frustration. Ruby lets out a small squeak at the rebuke and Yang felt her chest tighten at the sight. Forgetting, for that second, that she is mad at Blake, but the old feelings never truly died.

 

A voice, smooth as silk and cold as ice comes through the com link. "Those who attempt to act in disguise are apt to overdo it."

Yang shifts into full panic, she didn't even noticed the man who now stands behind Blake. Both Weiss and Blake freeze, but the man makes no hostile movements in spite of clearly knowing they are undercover. Yang flips the field goggles over her eyes to get a better look. He's tall and wearing a plain white wrap with gold fasteners. A wreath of gold dipped laurels crowns his slightly unruly curly hair. He simply observes the pair for a moment, their expressions clearly betraying their concern at being caught.

"Then again, those who are caught are not always most guilty." He looks directly up to Ruby's position as he strokes his full beard.

The need to take action overrides any sense of personal safety as Yang prepares to drop. "Ah, ah, ah. Look before you leap." Yang curses under her breath as she stops. At least a dozen Greek soldiers that had been scattered amongst the crowd have converged underneath her, spear tips waiting to receive her. How had he even known she was about to drop? His back was to her.

Blake draws herself up to her full height as she turns to the man. "Aesop." 

He tilts his head slightly in recognition. "You have no business here." His tone isn't threatening, but the cold finality of which he states this fact sends a shiver up Yang's spine.  

"How do you know?" Weiss challenges and Ruby hisses her name sharply.

He throws her a knowing look. "You know full well the court in which you stand, Ms. Schnee. Zeal should not outrun discretion. You and your comrades are not here for the night's…frivolities."

Blake snorts at the description, as she desperately tries to think of something to say to bide her teammates more time to look for any sign of Ozpin. Yang is too busy watching the gears turning in her partners head. Planning their next move in what could only be described as a verbal game of chess. "Do our means not fit within the night's frivolities?"

"What you seek is not _here_. Do not presume to teach your elders, _girl_." Then, for the first time he speaks with malice, "pride goes before destruction."

"What's that supposed to mean? Tell us where he is!" Weiss is clearly getting frustrated.  

"You have given me no reason to acquiesce to your request."

"Why not?" Blake asks, trying to keep what's left of her composure.  

Aesop looks directly at Weiss, who visibly recoils under the intensity of his gaze. "No disguise will hide one's true character." Blake attempts to get between them, but he fixes her with the same soul piercing gaze. "Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice themselves."

He turns to leave, pausing for a moment to speak once again over his shoulder. "And strangers should avoid those who quarrel among themselves." As he exits, he glances into the rafters, to Yang's position. "Those who enter by the back stairs must not complain if they are thrown out by the window."

"Yang?!" Ruby calls out, just as Yang herself is grabbed from her perch. They are promptly thrown out the window. Blake and Weiss, having entered through the front door, are escorted out by the group of soldiers once Aesop disappears into the crowd.

No one speaks in the airship on the way back to Patch. All lost in thought, each pair quietly shaken by the statements so obviously aimed directly at them.

 

***

 

"What happened?" Qrow seems to already know that something had gone wrong. "Well?!"

Yang is the first one to speak. "Maybe if someone hadn't told me to not act like a child their cover wouldn't have been blown."

"I'm right here, Yang. You could at least look at me when you fucking blame me for ruining this." Blake reflexively stands from her chair angrily.

Qrow is too late at stopping Yang from squaring up to Blake, eyes burning red. " _You_ fucking ruined _EVERYTHING_!" She storms out of the room, leaving Blake in shock. It was the first thing Yang had said directly to her since she came back. Blake quietly apologizes before she leaves, tears visibly streaming down her face as she disappears. Qrow shakes his head, this time letting his niece storm off to cool down on her own.

"I'm just really glad nothing happened to you," Ruby says, glancing at Weiss before looking back down at her boots. "Well, both of you," she adds quickly, trying to backtrack. 

Weiss folds her arms across her chest, "We were never in any real danger." Her tone is dismissive and cold.

"I was really worried and I was stuck up in those stupid rafters."

"You could try having a little faith in your teammates. You _are_ the leader," and with a final huff of indignation, Weiss leaves. Ruby just stares at her boots trying to fight back tears.

"She definitely deserves that nickname," Qrow says as he bends down to nudge Ruby's chin up. "Don't give up. Something tells me that ice already has a few cracks in it."

"Is it that obvious?" She sniffles as she wipes her tears.

"What happened? What did he say?"

Ruby found it odd that Qrow already knew that they had interacted with Aesop, but she doesn't bother to ask. Qrow always had a tendency to already know things. "He mostly talked in weird little phrases, but I think he knows something about where Ozpin is."

"And?" Qrow prods for more. 

"And when Weiss told him to tell us, he said we gave him no reason to ak-we-est to our request." Ruby looks at him slightly confused.

"It means no," he supplies, "then what?" Qrow didn't seem to be too concerned with the fact that they had failed to get any information on Ozpin.

"He looked at Weiss kind of funny. Like he could see into her soul, and said 'no disguise will hide one's true character' and then he said something to Blake, I'm sorry, I don't remember I…I," tears begin to slide down her face again. It was all too clear that what Aesop had said rattled Ruby.

"Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice themselves," Yang says from the doorway disdainfully, like the words themselves were sour in her mouth.

Qrow turns to her. "You're sure he knows something?" Yang simply nods in response. "You four are going to have to find out." 

"But he said no," Ruby argues.

"No," Qrow shakes his head. "He said you gave him no _reason_ to tell you." He looks back and forth between the sisters. "What was the last thing he said?"

"Something about throwing Ruby and me out the window...which he did." Yang is not as amused as Qrow about this.

"Yeah, he does that. But before that, what did he _say_? Come on, you two are smarter than this."

"Strangers should avoid those who quarrel among themselves." The re-appearance of Blake has Yang making a bee-line for the door again.

"Stop." Qrow demands. "Don't you get it? _Especially_ you." He points at Yang, who is thoroughly done with all of this. "We had better bear our troubles bravely than try to escape them."  

"Quit talking in riddles and tell us what to do to get it out of him!" Yang's semblance flares as she reaches her tipping point. Ruby nearly knocks her sister over with the force of her hug. After a few moments of her sister's embrace, Yang's eyes cool to their original color, but she's still staring daggers at Blake.

"When you figure it out, you'll know what to do. Knock it off and go get some rest."


	2. Roses for an Ice Queen

There was never a time that team RWBY was so broken. It was just one of many things weighing heavily on Ruby's mind as her father placed two eggs and bacon arranged in a smiley face in front of her. He smiles softly before opening his mouth to speak, but stops at the appearance of his oldest daughter. They both look at Yang for a moment, she tugs the sleeve of her sweatshirt down over her right hand before taking the seat across from her sister.

"Is there more bacon?" She mumbles, the dark rings under her eyes confirm that Yang hadn't gotten much sleep either. Another egg and bacon smiley face plate is placed in front of her. She frowns at it, picking up a piece of bacon.

"Yang, I know it's tough, but you have to learn eventually." Taiyang's tone is soft as he slides a fork across the table and she angrily stares at it, tentatively picking it up with her right hand. She manages a shaky bite of some egg when Weiss and Blake make their way into the small dining room. Yang stabs her fork into the table and stalks out of the room.

Blake lets out a heavy sigh as she takes the newly vacant seat. "Have you been able to talk to her?" She asks, trying to pry the fork out of the wooden table, but it's prongs are fully embedded into the wood.

Ruby swallows her mouthful of breakfast. "I tried lots of times while you were gone. I think you're the only one who's going to get through to her…you know…considering." She nervously glances at her partner as Weiss gracefully settles into the chair next to her. The close proximity jangles her already fried nerves.

Weiss huffs as Blake leaves, clearly frustrated. "This is getting ridiculous. Blake was right; how are we supposed to accomplish anything with Yang acting like a child?"

"We can figure it out! You did alright with me." Ruby exclaims, with a level of optimism that can only be described as "foolish".

"She's _way_ worse than you."

Ruby drops her head, softly murmuring, "there's a little more to it than you know, Weiss." She didn't particularly like anyone speaking ill of her sister, but she had to admit that Yang was being difficult. She couldn't blame Weiss for being fed up either. It had been the two of them that bore the brunt of Yang's anger; Weiss a little more so than Ruby.

"Well, you seem to know all the answers. You should-"

"No, I don't. Ok, Weiss? Is that what you want to hear? I don't have all the answers. I don't know what to do, but I have my own problems right now." Ruby shoves her mostly finished plate from the edge of the table as she stands, crimson cape whirling as she retreats.   

 

Her feet automatically carry her to her sisters room. Yang was always the first person she went to when she needed someone to talk to, but she stands hesitantly in front of the slightly cracked door. It was a noise she recognized instantly, the tinkering sounds of tools working on weapons. Now was not the time to disturb Yang, it would only cause more fighting and tension. Zwei whines softly at her feet, even he could tell how wrong everything was. Ruby brings a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture as she backs away. She knew it was childish, and all she could hear was Weiss pointing out exactly how childish it was, but she slips out the back door and disappears into the forest.

Once again, her feet move out of instinct, she knows this route better than any other path in the forest and it allows her mind to wander. _No disguise will hide one's true character_. It had been said to Weiss, but the way it hit the depths of her own soul…she couldn't help but wonder if Aesop had meant it for herself as well. She knew exactly what she was hiding, but she wasn't entirely sure she had a very good disguise, as Qrow had demonstrated. _That ice already has a few cracks in it_. Weiss, the ice queen. Ruby had seen through those cracks every now and then. If she hadn't shoved her plate across the table, she would have missed the expression of regret and sadness that had flashed across Weiss' face before hastily rearranging into that cold, angry facade.

Her feet carry her to the cliffside clearing of the forest. "Hey, mom." She sinks to her knees, letting out a deep breath before starting the story of everything that had happened in the last week.

***

_Ugh, you did it again._ Weiss manages to paint the disapproval over her regretful frown as Ruby leaves the room. In that moment, she wanted to call out to Ruby. To tell her to stay, to tell her that she was sorry. To tell her that even though the young leader worked her very last nerve sometimes, she found herself absolutely head over heels in love. _What?! No, stop._ She stares at Ruby's half eaten meal as the internal struggle wages on.

"At least one of you girls needs to eat a full breakfast," Taiyang smiles as he places another plate on the table. "Especially after last night."

Weiss crosses her arms over her chest, turning her head away from him. "I'm not hungry." Her stomach protests loudly and her eyes go wide.

At this, he actually chuckles. "She might not be able to see through your little ice queen act, but I see what's going on."

"How _dare_ -" The back door snaps shut, and she stops mid-sentence, turning to see who had left.

"It happens more often than you think. You spend most of your time together, in classes, in battle. One day, something happens, and you realize you can't imagine a life without your partner." He smiles ruefully.

"It's _not_ like that," she insists. The same tired lie she's been telling herself for months now. She swallows hard at the memory of looking out an airship window as a crumbled and fallen Beacon shrinks into the distance.  

"Ok, ok. I'll stay out of it, but it could turn out really great." He tilts his head towards a picture on the wall before leaving. A young Yang perched on his shoulders next to a woman holding a baby Ruby. She looked so much like an older version of Ruby that there was no mistaking who she was. They were all smiling brightly, except for Ruby, who was peacefully asleep in her mother's arms.

She slowly begins to eat her breakfast. Thoughts of Ruby with a white haired child excitedly lifted onto her shoulders as they walk through a park swim hazily to the forefront of her mind. How Ruby would take off, activating her semblance, leaving Weiss with a small silver eyed baby in the slipstream, yelling after them to be careful. Zwei barks, pulling her from her daydream. She can feel her face burning as it flushes.

"It's _not_ like that! I swear!" Zwei cocks his head to the side, tongue lolling out of his open mouth. "What am I doing?" he whines as he turns towards the direction of the back door and barks again. Somewhere in the house, Yang yells at someone to get out, followed by a great slamming of a door. Blake yells something back, but Weiss isn't fully listening. Not wanting to be in the house for what she could imagine was going to be a noisy fight between the two, she opens the back door and follows as Zwei runs out the into the cool mid-morning air.

Weiss stares at the ground lost in thought. The green grass under her feet is always a welcome change from the frozen tundra of Atlas. Her stomach sinks again as the memory of that day returns, the day her father came and took her away from her team; took her away from Ruby. _No disguise will hide one's true character_. That fool of an old man managed to pin her in a matter of minutes, how long had everybody else been able to see through her?

"Who am I kidding?" She sighs, but when she looks for her furry companion, he's nowhere near her. A split second of panic shoots through her before the dog barks again, turning to run down a worn path leading into the woods. "Wait! Zwei!" She catches up with him and walks beside him, letting her mind wander again.

 

_Weiss was sneaking around the airship hangar as the older Schnee sister prepared her ship for a status update mission on the situation in Vale. Weiss' plan was to sneak on the ship just as they finished loading and make her way to Patch once landed._

_A stern hand gripped her upper arm. "Just where do you think you're going?" Winter began leading her out of the hangar when she managed to break free._

_"Let go! I'm going to Vale!" The desperation in her voice caused Winter to falter._

_"There is nothing you can do to help there. You're safer here."_

_Weiss wasn't sure when the tears had welled up, but they were now threatening to spill over. "I have to get to Patch."_

_Her sister scoffed in disbelief. "What could possibly be so important in Patch for you to risk your life fighting through Vale?" Winter cut her off before Weiss could respond. "Enough, I'm taking you back to father."_

_Weiss hadn't meant to, but the black holding glyph spun wildly around her sister's outstretched hand. "Stop! I have to get back to Ruby!" Shocked at her own outburst, she released the hold on her sister and hung her head, tears falling onto the smooth white marble floor._

_"One condition," Winter's face was stern as Weiss wiped her own tears. "You must report to me weekly. Should you fail to do so, I_ will _come for you." Weiss nodded and Winter's expression softened. There was a certain knowing look on Winter's face as she pulled Weiss into a hug. "Very well. I shall take you directly to Patch."_

 

It had taken a month to finally escape from her father, all to get back to her team. She pinches the bridge of her nose at the thought. The burning need to return had nothing to do with _most_ of her team. The sinking in the pit of her stomach as she watched Vale shrink into the distance had nothing to do with her team. Forced with the very real possibility of being separated from Ruby forever, that was the moment Taiyang spoke of. She wasn't fooling anyone and she couldn't fool herself anymore.

Zwei halts at the edge of a clearing, and when the scene in front of her registers, Weiss ducks behind a patch of bushes, pulling Zwei into hiding with her. She takes a deep breath, hoping to slow the pounding heartbeat hammering in her ears, to listen to what Ruby is saying.

"...but I'm not sure anything I said really got through. They're going to have to work it out between them. I can't really fix anything when I've got a lot going on too." Ruby lets out a sigh, gathering her courage to continue. "I try to make Weiss smile…I love it when she smiles…and you should hear it when she laughs." A slow smile spreads across Weiss' face as she listens.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong. She's always so cold and closed off. I mean, she's always kind of like that, but it wasn't nearly this bad before…everything." Weiss' smile fades, the guilt and regret that sprang up whenever she shut Ruby down with her ice queen act sets in. She knows she has to do something, but she's rooted to her hiding spot. "Uncle Qrow said something about bearing our troubles bravely and not escaping them…or something like that, but I don't know how to tell her how I feel. I thought maybe she'd get it, you know, on her own…so I wouldn't have to tell her."

Weiss did get it. She had gotten it long before their current ordeal. Bear our troubles greatly and not escape them. It all became clear and she releases her hold on a now squirming Zwei. He barks as he runs towards Ruby, drawing her attention.

"Oh, hey Zwei! How did you get out here by your- GAH, WEISS! HOWLONGHAVEYOUBEENTHERE?!"

Weiss smiles softly at Ruby's panic, and the sight of that little smile has Ruby blushing. For the first time in a long time, Weiss laughs, only causing the shade of red Ruby was sporting to begin rivaling her cape.

"Long enough you dolt," Weiss chuckles as she easily pulls Ruby into her arms.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I thought you'd be mad, well you were already mad. I thought it would make you madder and-" Weiss steps back and, taking Ruby's face in her hands, stops the frantic rambling with a kiss. Ruby throws her arms around Weiss' neck, nearly knocking them both over as she deepens the kiss. Zwei was running in circles around the two of them, barking and wagging his little tail happily. They broke apart and Ruby turns back to the slab of stone she had been addressing.

"Well, mom, this is Weiss," she awkwardly scratches the back of her head. Weiss isn't entirely sure what to do, so she curtsies gracefully. Ruby lets out a small snort at the formal gesture. "Anyway, we should probably get back. I should probably check on Yang."

"Actually, it's probably better for us to wait a while Ruby." Ruby's eyes grow wide with worry. "They'll be fine. Let them have it out. They both need it." Weiss leads Ruby to the edge of the cliff to admire the view.

_"That's_ supposed to make me feel better?"

"It's just the way it has to go. Sit here. Did I tell you about how I escaped from Atlas?"

 

They sit in the cliffside clearing for a long time, talking and throwing sticks for Zwei to fetch. Ruby is fast asleep in Weiss' lap when the sun starts to set, bathing the forrest in gold. Weiss tries her best not to wake her sleeping partner, but her summoning is still a work in progress.

"Woah!" Ruby wonders sleepily as the silver blue summon of the giant nevermore they defeated begins to shrink to a more normal size bird.

"It's getting late. We should see if it's safe to go home. Wait," Weiss reaches for the handle of Myrtenaster as the bushes at the edge of the forest rustle. "Who's there," she demands, and Qrow emerges from the shadows, chuckling as the two girls quickly separate.

"You won't need either of those. I just came to tell you dinner will be ready soon."    

"Is everyone ok at home?" Ruby had been anxious ever since she learned Yang and Blake were finally having it out.

Qrow laughs again. "Everyone and everything is fine. Better than ever."

Ruby and Weiss exchange incredulous looks as he begins to return to the house, Zwei barking happily in his wake. After a few moments, Ruby hoists Weiss over her shoulder and takes off at top speed, Weiss shouting at her to be put down the entire way home.


	3. Taming The Sun Dragon

_Blake turned, quickly drawing Gambol Shroud, finally facing off with whoever had been following her for the last few hours. Of all the people she expected to see, Yang's uncle was last on the list. It left her mind racing with new and terrifying possibilities. That Yang hadn't made it. No, that was impossible. She made sure Yang was properly evacuated before she left. Her heart was racing and her grip on her weapon tightened as her mind worked to her final conclusion._

_"I'm not here for revenge. Stop wallowing and point that thing somewhere else would ya?" He raised his hands to show he wasn't armed but his tone was serious._

_"Then why else are you here? How did you find me?" She retracted the blade but refused to holster the weapon completely._

_"If, and it's a big if, Yang wants revenge, I'd let her take it for herself. At least she'd be doing something other than yelling at everybody and staring out a window all-"_

_"Then what do you want?" She didn't need to be reminded of how much she had hurt Yang._

_"I want you to stop whatever self-righteous crusade you think you're on and come back to your team."_

_"I don't deserve them." She couldn't bring herself to look at him anymore._

_"You're damn right you don't. Not if this is how you're gonna handle things. Did you honestly think you could run forever?"_

_There was a long silence before she holstered Gambol Shroud and looked him in the eyes. "Are you going to tell her you found me?"_

_He shrugged. "Are you going to come back?"_

_"Give me a month. If I don't find what I'm looking for, I'll come back. You have my word."_

_Qrow barked a sort of sarcastic laugh. "Alright then. See you soon."_

 

"We should get some breakfast," Weiss says, snapping Blake back to the present. She nods and follows Weiss downstairs into the dining room.

The sight of Yang attempting to eat with her right hand sends a sharp pang of guilt through Blake that a month ago would have reduced her to tears. After everything that's happened between then and now, the guilt is mingled with frustration and anger. Frustration and anger she knows she has no right expressing, so she keeps as blank an expression as she can. The sharp crack of metal piercing wood and Yang stalking off _again_ tips the scales of frustration further down.    

Blake sighs as she fills the vacant seat. "Have you been able to talk to her?" She asks Ruby as she tries to pry the fork Yang embedded into the table out.

"I tried lots of times while you were gone. I think you're the only one who's going to get through to her…you know…considering," she trails off. Distracted by the fact that Weiss has just taken the seat next to her. Blake won't get any more help out of Ruby or Weiss as long as they're both in the same room as each other. She returns to the room she's been sharing with Weiss and retrieves the book she's been attempting to read. It's been a week since she started it, but she hasn't even finished the first chapter yet thanks to her wandering thoughts.

 

_She stands at the edge of a clearing, surveying the log cabin. This has to be it. It matches the description Yang had given what felt like so long ago, on one of the rare occasions she could get Yang to talk about her childhood. She shouldn't be here. She has no right to be here after all the damage she's caused her partner. Her breathing is shallow and heart threatening to burst out of her chest. Every fiber of her being tells her to turn around and run. Run as far and as fast as she can. Not for her sake, but for everyone else's. She shifts her weight, ready to leave._

_"You gave me your word." A gravely voice reminds from behind her and she nearly scales the closest tree in shock. "Been expecting you for a few days now."_

_"The White Fang faction I was following suddenly left. I spent a few days scouting the area, but it looks like they knew someone was following them." She threw a pointed glare at Qrow. He simply smirked in response and began walking towards the house. She followed, her stomach in a thousand knots. He leads her through the front door into the living room. She only gets a glimpse of the people present before Ruby is hugging her, rose petals dissolving in her wake._

_"I can't believe you're back we were so worried I didn't know where you went and Ya-" she stops at the name just as Weiss stands to pull Ruby off of Blake. Weiss gives her a curt nod, but the expression on her face is warm. Blake returns the gesture before another man approaches her. He's unmistakably Yang's father, that bright shade of blonde hair could have only come from him. He seems to know exactly who she is as well and he places a gentle hand on her shoulder and nods, indicating for her to turn around. She turns just in time for Qrow to usher Yang into the room, but she doesn't look the same. How could she? Every muscle in Blake's body tenses reflexively, nerves screaming, waiting for whatever reaction would come. The deepest scowl she's ever seen graces Yang's features before she practically shoves her father aside to leave. Taiyang looks from Blake to Qrow and Qrow goes after her. Blake manages to make it to an empty chair before she falls._

_"WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU ALL EXPECT?! EVERYTHING TO BE FINE BECAUSE SHE CAME BACK?! I'M DONE WITH PEOPLE THAT LEAVE RIGHT WHEN I NEED THEM! WHERE WAS SHE WHEN I LAID HERE FOR-" but the sentence was never finished. Instead, there was a massive explosion, Blake knew that sound. Ruby shot like a bullet out the back door as Weiss took Blake into a bedroom._

_"She's been like this since I got here," Weiss said. If it was supposed to make Blake feel any better, it didn't. Yang was right, what did everyone expect? Some cheerful reunion? Blake had expected Yang to yell at her, maybe even hit her. It was a far cry from what she deserved, but she didn't expect Yang to not say a word, to just leave at the sight of her. Her partner, the only person she had come to trust in a very long time, the only person she had loved in a long time, couldn't stand the sight of her, couldn't even talk to her. It left her breathless and hot tears streamed down her face._

_Weiss actually hugged Blake, "Give her some time."_

 

How much time was enough? It took three days for Yang to stop immediately leaving at the sight of Blake. The first time the four of them trained together was a nightmare. Ruby called out team attacks as they squared off against Taiyang and Qrow but Yang just stood, arms crossed when Ruby called out bumblebee. The last month had been difficult, Yang still wouldn't talk to Blake and took out her anger on everyone around her. That's what Weiss had meant by "she's been like this since I got here."

Finally, last night in their abysmal failure of the Aesop mission, Yang spoke to Blake. Not that it was anything nice, but it was something, and there was something else behind those crimson, rage filled eyes. Pain. Pain that only a handful of people understood the source, and Blake knew that she was now a part of the cause. She knew it was well past the moment to try talking to Yang, but she wasn't sure she could take it if Yang told her to never talk to her again. She wasn't sure if she could take losing Yang forever. However, things couldn't go on like this. She couldn't let Yang run forev-

"Oh." The soft exclamation forced from her as Aesop's words rang in her head again. _"Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice themselves."_  

Blake snaps the book shut and with a deep breath, makes her way to Yang's room.

***

Yang pulls the small set of tools out from the bedside drawer. She knows there's nothing wrong with the cybernetic arm, but to make herself feel better, she blames the equipment. She disengages the synthetic skin and begins to check that all the screws are tight enough. She completely lost it last night, but she hadn't really blamed Blake for ruining the mission. Blake had known what she was really yelling at her for, Yang could tell by the look on her face. It was the first thing she had said to Blake since her partner returned, and as angry as she was at Blake for leaving in the first place, she didn't want _that_ to have been the first words exchanged. She knew why Blake ran, but that didn't make the fact that she did any easier to deal with. After everything she had confided in Blake, all the times they'd shared, all the little moments between them that were theirs and only theirs. Then, when she woke up in her room, surrounded by medical equipment, bandaged and broken, the one person she wanted to see wasn't there. Even Ruby disappeared with the remaining members of JNPR for a month before Qrow brought her home. She's just the girl everybody leaves behind. Angrily cranking the screwdriver a little too sharply, she jumps, letting out a small howl as pain shoots up the remainder of her real arm.

"Yang?! Are you ok?!" It's Blake, and she's peering through the small space of the slightly opened door.

"GET OUT!" Yang races over and slams the door shut. No one is supposed to see this. No one is supposed to see that she's broken.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER YANG!" Blake shouts through the door.

"Oh, that's funny, coming from you," Yang mutters as she corrects the over tightened screw. She hears the heavy sigh and winces, remembering that Blake could definitely hear her muttering.

"Please open the door," Blake says, and there's an edge of desperation in her voice. Placing the tools back into the drawer, she crosses the room, re-engaging the skin on her arm and stares at the door. She's still mad at Blake for leaving, but nothing in the world would ever destroy her feelings for her partner. It was an exhausting roller coaster. She wanted to go back to the way things were, before the fall of Beacon, before she lost her arm, before the incident during the Vytal festival, but was she ready to forgive Blake for doing the one thing Blake knew would hurt her the most? The months of recovery were hard enough, but not having Blake by her side, how she'd always been there for her over the last year, that was the worst.

Another sigh comes from the other side of the door before Blake begins again. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, for anything. It's all my fault about…your arm…" her voice cracks but she continues. "But most of all, for leaving. I just didn't know what to do, so I ran, again. I knew it the second I left that it was a big mistake, but how else was I supposed to face you, Ruby, or anybody when it was all my fault." She sniffled and Yang's anger began to subside as she spoke. "So I know it doesn't mean very much, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. For everything, and I'll understand if you want to run from me forever, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't at least try to catch up to you."

A long stretch of silence follows before the floorboards creak as Blake begins to walk away. "No!" Yang wrenches the door open, nearly pulling the handle off, crashing into the hallway. They stare at each other for a moment before Blake follows Yang into her room.

They sit, in silence again. Yang stares at the floor, absently rubbing her arm where synthetic skin almost seamlessly met real skin. Blake tries her best to not notice it, but it's the first time she's seen Yang without long sleeves on.

"Can…can I see it?" Blake isn't sure why this question escapes from her. She of all people knew how annoying this question was.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Yang replies, holding two fingers up behind her head in reference to the ears concealed under the little black bow.

"You've seen them. I wasn't wearing the bow last night." Blake frowns slightly for a moment, forgetting the situation they are now in.

"I've never been able to see them up close, and…" Yang’s voice drops, "I was too mad to really see them when we got back."

Blake was internally screaming at herself. They were not back at Beacon or just on school break. She has no right to deny anything Yang asks of her. She slowly pulls the ribbon out of its knot and off of her head. Her cat ears twitch as the cool air hits them and the way Yang's face lights up at the sight of them makes Blake's heart ache.

"Oh man! They're so cuuuuute!" Yang reaches up but stops just short of touching the ears. She looks at Blake, a mixture of concern and curiosity on her face. Blake is somewhat dazed that Yang stops to ask permission, but lowers her head, indicating that it's ok for Yang to touch them. Yang gently runs two fingers down one of Blake's cat ears and grins. "So soft," she whispers. Blake tries her best to not cringe when Yang does it again, pushing the fur against it's natural pattern, causing an ungodly grating noise to echo through her skull. Her ears reflexively pin back and twitch forward again. "I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. It's just a reflex, but even if you did…it's ok."   

Yang must have noticed the displaced fur because she gently smooths it back. Blake involuntarily shivers, causing Yang to stop. "Are you sure I'm not hurting you?"

Blake nods again and less than gently smooths the fur on her ears again. "It's just...a little sensory overload right now." She can't tell when it happened, but some invisible wall that's been between them crumbled over the last few moments. Maybe it was Blake's apology. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first time either of them had willingly sought the others company, but something between them has shifted back almost to the way things were. The gentle exchanges of pieces of each other that Blake always held so dear.

"Alright, a deal's a deal." Yang gets up to sit on the other side of Blake, her right arm now next to her partner. She raises the arm for Blake to inspect. "You can touch it."

Blake ever so gently reaches out and touches Yang’s forearm. "Can you feel anything?"

"No. Go ahead, pinch it. The synthetic skin is wild." Yang's face is alight again and Blake has the sneaking suspicion that, in spite of everything, Yang thinks the arm is cool. She lightly pinches the skin and it does have a strange texture to it. Almost like real skin, but not quite. She trails her fingers up the arm to where what's left of Yang's arm begins. Yang has always been warm, but the warmth that fills Blake at the feeling of Yang's skin under her fingertips has nothing to do with Yang's naturally higher than normal body temperature.

It's Yang's turn to involuntarily shiver. "Ok, ready?" Blake, suddenly realizing what is about to happen, slowly inhales and holds her breath, steeling herself to not react.

Yang wraps her real hand over the seam of the cybernetic and, in a downward wiping motion, disengages the synthetic skin. Blake blinks at the fully exposed cybernetic arm for a moment. She's seen cybernetics before, but this one is different.

"Is it made out of gold?" Blake hesitantly asks.

Yang laughs and the sound of it causes Blake to relax a little. "Nah, just painted. Real gold would never stand up to the force of my punches. Ruby made it from the same metal I made Ember Celia from."

"Ruby _made_ it?!" Blake asks as she reaches out to touch the metal, but stops short, remembering how Yang had before touching her ears.

"Of course! Go ahead, I can't feel it. Remember?"

Blake wasn't sure Yang realized that reminding her that she couldn't feel anything in that arm didn't reassure Blake about anything. She places her hand on the cool metal and swallows hard. It's a stark contrast to Yang's warmth. Blake knew all too well what it was like to want to keep something on her hidden from the world, to make sure no one knew that she was different. She could tell that Yang felt the same way about her arm. The way Yang constantly wore long sleeved shirts, even though someone would have to touch the arm to tell it was fake with the skin covering it. Blake had been trying her best to not show any kind of negative emotion, but that cold hard metal under her hand, where there should have been flesh and bone, breaks her resolve. She continues to inspect the robotics anyway, and even though she knows that Yang can't feel it, she is incredibly gentle as she runs her own fingers along the slender gold ones.   

Yang watches as Blake tentatively reaches out and places her hand on the robotic appendage. She watches as sadness finally washes over Blake. The way Blake so gently caresses the metal hand, in spite of many reassurances that she won't feel it, fills Yang, for the first time since she got the arm, with a sense of completeness. Blake slowly threads her fingers through Yang's and brings it to her lips, placing a single kiss on the back of the hand.

"I love you," Yang blurts out, and they both freeze, eyes wide, staring at each other. For a moment, Blake is speechless. She doesn't believe what just came out of Yang's mouth. In shock, she drops Yang's hand, and it makes a strange thumping sound as it lands on Yang's leg.

"Oh Dust! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I mean," Blake doesn't finish whatever she is trying to say. She lurches forward, burying her face in the crook of Yang's neck as tears stream down her face. Yang, in turn, drops a soft kiss on one of Blake's cat ears and wraps her arms around Blake, cradling her as she scoots them both fully onto the bed. With her real hand, Yang reaches up and massages the base of Blake's cat ears where they meet her skull.

After a minute of this, Blake stops crying and nuzzles against Yang's neck. "I love you," she says, barely above a whisper.

For the first time, in a long time, the two relax. Seemingly melting into each other. Relaxed enough for a soft purring to begin emanating from Blake and the sound of it causes Yang to drift into a sound and peaceful sleep. Blake places a soft kiss on the underside of Yang's chin before resting her head against Yang's chest. Even through her purring, she can hear Yang's heart beating, steady and strong. A bird outside squawks, taking flight from a nearby branch just as she falls into her own slumber.

***

Taiyang lets out a grunt, bringing the axe down on the last piece of firewood to split. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he smiles as a crow flies overhead cawing loudly. He places the two pieces onto the stack of wood on the side of the house and turns to the forest.

"How did it go? I guess it didn't get violent." At first glance it appears he's talking to no one, but Qrow steps out from between the trees.

"I can't hear through walls, Tai." Qrow runs a hand through his hair and straightens his cape. "No violence, quite the opposite. I'd give her a while." He pulls his flask from his pocket and toasts before taking a long sip.

Taiyang awkwardly scratches the back of his head. "I guess hearing it from you is better than walking in on them."

At this, Qrow chokes on his rather large gulp of liquor. "God! No! They're sleeping. You think I'd stick around to see my niece having-"

"Hey! You think I want to hear that about my _daughter_?" Taiyang cuts him off before Qrow can finish the sentence.

"Fair enough," Qrow chuckles as he begins to walk into the house.

"What about Ruby? She's out at…" Taiyang doesn't finish.

"Yeah. I know. It's where she always goes. I'm heading there now. Had to make sure the little fire cracker didn't go off. Where's the ice queen?"

"I had a little talk with her. She and Zwei left shortly after Ruby. You might find them together if she followed Zwei." Qrow gives him a thumbs up before disappearing into the forest again.

 

Now that the tensions have settled, maybe some progress can be made. In an effort to stall and give Yang time to get some much needed actual sleep, Taiyang begins preparing a stew for dinner. Something to just throw in the pot and let it cook. Once that's squared away, he checks the time. It's just past noon as he begins setting up. Nobody expected Yang's strength or fighting ability to be too set back by the loss of her arm. The only things that were standing in her way of a fairly normal existence were her spirits and her fine motor skills. Taiyang grabs a box of nuts and bolts, fills a bowl with water, and takes a ball of dough out of the refrigerator. He then retrieves a glass, a spoon, and a box of spaghetti. He sets all of this onto the dining room table and lets out a deep breath before heading to Yang's room.

 

The soft knocking on the door isn't what wakes Yang. It's the twitching of Blake's cat ear against her nose at the sudden disruption that rouses her from her slumber. She rubs her nose to stall the sneeze that would have less than gracefully woken her sleeping partner.

"Yang? Are you ready?" Her father calls through the door.

"Shit," she hisses, checking the time as Blake begins to stir. She's two hours late for her fine motor training.

"What's wrong?" Blake asks sleepily. Yang manages to extricate herself from under Blake without too much disturbance, but Blake is already awake now.

"Nothing. I just have to go do fine motor exercises." Yang holds up her hand and recovers the robotics before opening and closing her fist. Another round of slightly louder knocking ensues.

"Yang? Are you awake?"

Yang cringes as her father calls out again. "Yeah. I'll be right there," and after the sound of her father’s footsteps fades, she slips out of the room.

 

"Everything ok?" Taiyang asks as his daughter sits at the table.

"Fine. How much longer do we have to do these?" She's already inserting individual pieces of spaghetti into the ball of dough, frowning as the piece she has in her hand breaks.

"Until you can do all of them fairly well…or you can eat without making additions to the furniture." That morning wasn't the first time a fork had been jammed into the table. Yang apologizes as she reaches out and gives the fork a mighty pull.

"Where's Blake?" He asks, settling opposite of Yang.

She's been back for a month now, but that question still opens a wound whenever anybody asks Yang. Of course, nobody has asked in the last month, but the reflex seemed to be sticking around. She just stares at her father for a moment before remembering that this is no longer a loaded question. The look on her father’s face is screaming that he knows something, and she realizes that this is now a very differently loaded question.

"Uhhh, I think she's sleeping," she says, a hint of blush creeping into her cheeks as she drops the nut she was attempting to screw onto a bolt.

"Hmm, that's weird. There was nobody in that room." He's smirking at her now, and she can't tell if he's actually enjoying toying with her. She drops the small piece of metal again and curses under her breath. "Ok, let me hold the bolt." He tries to take the bolt from Yang's left hand. This exercise has always been tricky for Yang. Holding the bolt with her non-dominant left hand and attempting to screw a nut onto it with her cybernetic right hand was the most challenging of the three.

"I don't want you to hold it! I want to be able to do it myself!"  Yang throws the bolt as hard as she can in frustration.

 

As Blake enters the dining room, she learns why there are small notches in the walls as a bolt flies inches in front of her face. She pulls it out of the wood and rolls it across the table as she sits next to Taiyang.

"Yang," Blake says, very calmly.

"What!?" Yang yells back, but becomes instantly solemn when she sees Blake pull the bow on her head out of its knot.

"Tie this on my head," and she hands the black ribbon to Yang.

"No way. I could end up hurting you," Yang refuses.

"I know you won't," Blake says confidently as she places the ribbon into Yang's hand. She stretches across the table's surface and rests her head in her arms in front of her partner.

Yang looks from Blake to her father, hoping he'll stop this assignment, but he just nods. Yang fails at her first three attempts to tie the bow back on Blake's head and on the fourth failed attempt, Yang loses her temper again.

"This is stupid! I don't need fine motor skills to kill that good for nothing bull fau-" but before Yang can finish the sentence and bring up a subject Blake is far from ready to discuss, she pops up from the table and captures Yang's lips with her own.

 

Yang’s world is spinning. Adrenaline from her outburst still pumping through her veins, all she can think to do is reciprocate. She grabs Blake by the back of the neck, nearly pulling her onto the table as she drowns in the sensation. Taiyang’s uncomfortable cough brings the two back to their current situation.

Blake rests her forehead against Yang’s, taking a second to catch her breath. When she opens her eyes, she’s staring into bright crimson red ones, but unlike last night, there is no anger, only pure desire. She reaches out, taking Yang’s face in her hands.

“Yang. Calm down. I know you can do this.” A long exhale escapes from Yang and she closes her eyes again. “Take it slow, it’s not a race.” Eyelids open again to reveal bright lilac irises. They release their holds on each other and Yang begins another try at tying the bow. A slow smile creeps across Blake’s face as she feels Yang working. Her pace is much slower than her previous attempts and after a few moments, Yang stands and punches the air in excitement.

Taiyang lets out the breath he’s been holding as his daughter worked and smiles. “How about we blow off some steam? Bet you can't land a hit on me.”

“You’re on old man!” Yang runs excitedly to her room to grab her Ember Celia, leaving Blake alone with Taiyang.

“So, seems like you two are ok now,” he says a bit awkwardly. Blake quickly re-ties her bow but is at a loss for how to respond. “She needs you, you know?”

Blake looks him directly in the eyes. “I needed her.”

He folds his arms across his chest, seemingly choosing his next words carefully. “You're not going to run if things get rough again, are you? Things are going to get rough again.”

“No. That’s what I needed her for. She gave me something to run to,” she replies.

“Hey Blake, I grabbed...Gambol…” Yang bursts back into the room and stops suddenly at the serious atmosphere. “Everything ok?”

Blake takes Gambol Shroud from Yang and fits her weapon onto the shoulder plate it’s usually holstered in. “Let’s fight.”

 

Blake had already seen Yang in action during their team training before the Aesop mission, but she refused to do the team attacks with her. All of team RWBY’s team attacks were effective in their own ways, but Blake had always been partial to fighting alongside Yang. They were partners after all, and they had spent a considerable amount of time training together at school, especially leading up to the Vytal festival tournament. It felt good to be fighting side by side with Yang again. Yang seemed to be enjoying it too, but no matter how in sync they were, they couldn't seem to land a blow on Taiyang.

Pulling out of a failed dual rush attack, they began to plan their next move as Taiyang laughs.

“Is that all you girls have got?” In spite of the jest, he was breathing heavily, having survived a relentless barrage of attacks for nearly an hour. “You're running out of time,” he taunts.

Blake and Yang look at one another, and with a single nod, Yang blasts off as Blake fires Gambol Shroud for her to catch. At this exact moment, Ruby and Weiss emerge from the forest.

“What?! No! YA-” Ruby is caught by the hood of her cape by Qrow before she can dart into the fray.

“Watch,” is all he says, pointing back to the fight.

“ _Bumblebee_ ,” Ruby whispers as she watches in awe.

Blake, still towing Yang as she circles around her father, takes a few intentionally misaimed shots at Taiyang with the sheath of Gambol Shroud. As soon as he begins to counterattack, she activates her semblance and jumps backward, pulling hard on the ribbon of her weapon. After a single blow, the shadow clone dissipates and comprehension dawns on him. The real Blake smirks and he turns, just in time to see Yang’s fist flying directly at his head. Seconds before her fist makes contact, she lets go of Blake’s weapon and extends her arms, tackling her father in a massive hug.

 

“Count it!” She exclaims as she jumps up and Taiyang laughs.

“I said land a hit, not a flying tackle hug,” he says, brushing himself off.

Qrow finally releases Ruby and she bolts to Yang who laughs as she pulls Ruby up into a massive hug. “Gross! Yang! Put me down, You're all sweaty!”

“Where have you been all day?” Yang asks as she puts her sister down.

“Oh. I went to talk to mom. Then Weiss showed up and, um, well…”

“RUBY!” Weiss yells not far behind Ruby. A deep blush erupts on Ruby’s face as Weiss continues to scold her. “We agreed we would both tell them together!”

“How am I supposed to keep that from my sister?” Ruby mumbles, kicking at a small patch of dirt.

"It's not like it was a very big secret," Blake calmly states, appearing next to Yang. Weiss begins arguing but Ruby is too distracted by the way Yang pulls Blake closer to her by the waist.

"Oh, relax. We've all known for weeks, and Ruby tells me everything anyway." Yang laughs at the frustrated huff that comes from Weiss upon learning this information. 

"Honestly. Are you going to tell her everything we do? Ruby? Are you even listening? Oh," Weiss finishes when she sees Ruby pointing at the other half of the team, kissing again.

"You two, go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon," Taiyang says effectively separating Blake and Yang before he returns to the house.

"Yeaaaah…well! You heard the man. Let's go wash up," and Yang winks as she pulls Blake towards the house.

 

It was a day of new beginnings, and for the first time in a very very long time, the house was practically buzzing with excited happiness. It took a long time for anyone to notice that Qrow was practically brooding in the corner of the living room.

 


	4. Allied Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling conclusion

As Qrow had so bluntly pointed out, there was no time to spend basking in their newfound bliss. There was still a massive dragon frozen on the top of Beacon tower, the world hung on the brink of war, and most of all, Ozpin was still missing. Team RWBY spent a week training, rebuilding and flexing their fighting skills as a unit.

"As I'm sure you've all realized, Aesop is not a pushover. He may spend most of his time speaking in morals and riddles, but he's dangerous in a fight." Qrow explains as he gives the team a final briefing in the airship. "Work together, listen to each other, and don't. touch. anything."

" _Anything?_ Not even to open a door?" Yang argues.

"Anything you don't absolutely need to. Good luck. I have faith in you four," and with that, Qrow exits the airship.

 

Blake settles in the pilot's seat and starts up the engines as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang strap into the other available seats.

"Okay. Let's go over it one more time. What do we know for certain?" Ruby was nervous. Their last encounter with Aesop had shaken them all and she didn't want another repeat.

"That Aesop is a dick and we're all going in through the front door this time," Yang said, in an effort to lighten her sister's mood. The deep scowl she received from both Ruby and Weiss was not what Yang had hoped for.

"There are five floors total. Aesop resides at the bottom and each floor will be a test. Some may be group efforts, some may single out one of us. Either way, we must pass each test to advance. Retreat is not an option," Weiss finished confidently, garnering a small smile from Ruby.

"The tests are manifestations of Aesop's morals. Should we fail the test, we will be attacked," Blake adds.

"But we _are_ all going in through the front door," Yang says, very seriously this time.

"Enough about the -"

"Agreed," Ruby says cutting Weiss off. "What? I don't want to be thrown out a window again either." She says in response to the incredulous look on Weiss' face.

***

To all the outside world, the building is just an old deserted warehouse, but once inside, the smooth marble floor and ornate decoration tells a different story. Blake, being the stealthiest on the team, is first to slip through the front door. She opens it again, signaling that it is safe for the others to enter. The full moon's glow filtering through the high windows is the only light in the open hall. This is the room they had been in on their first trip to the court of Aesop, but it looks much different now.

"Look for a door," Ruby orders, and the group splits up. Yang approaches the center of the hall when a large portion of the floor falls away, the sound of it brings the others over to her.

"Found it," she announces proudly.

"Look!" Weiss exclaims, pointing to the floor. Large golden letters begin glowing on the floor.

When you seek to change your condition, be sure that you can better it," Blake reads calmly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss scoffs.

"It means it's begun."

"The tests?" Ruby asks, turning to Blake, who nods.

"Alright then. Let's do it!" Yang slams her fists together and approaches the edge of the trap door. Ruby and Weiss are exchanging concerned looks when Blake nearly tackles Yang back from the dark pit.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Blake yells, pushing Yang back again as the eager brawler attempts to approach the hole in the floor again.

"I'm gonna go kick some butt! Isn't that what we're here for?"

"Didn't you learn anything from our last encounter, Yang?" Weiss asks as she takes the flashlight Ruby hands her. Shining the light into the void, a massive bed of spikes rests at the bottom. Armor and weapons of previous fools still lay scattered and impaled among the thick golden spikes.

"Oh, yeah. Look before you leap." Yang is pointing at the floor now, reading the smaller, identical gold words that now glow at the edge of the trap. "Now what?"

As soon as the question leaves her mouth, two elegant torches flare to life in the far corner of the hall, illuminating a door. "That way," Ruby says, taking the lead again.

 

Two flights of old wooden stairs lead them down to the next floor of Aesop's court. "Why would anybody willingly come here?" Ruby asks, clearly shaken by their early brush with disaster.

"For the same reason we are. Knowledge. Aesop is one of the oldest living huntsman on the planet. Respected and feared by good and evil alike. To survive the trials and meet with Aesop is an impressive feat to brag about in and of itself." Blake explains as they descend.

Weiss scoffs. "An impressive feat? So far it's just been keeping Yang from dying of her own stupidity."

"Hey!" Yang retorts.

"It's true. If the rest of these tests are anything like the first one, then this will be way easier than Qrow made it seem. We'll be back before midnight." Weiss finishes as they reach the door to the next room, but Ruby hesitates to open it. "What are you waiting for?" Weiss huffs.

"I just think we should take a second to regroup or something before we go charging into anything," Ruby replies.

"We're all right here. We're fine."

Weiss continues to push, but Blake chooses that moment to add her input. "It can't hurt to have a plan," she suggests.

"A plan for an unknown trial ahead of us? Sure, let me activate my clairvoyance and we'll make a plan. As long as we all stay in form, we'll be fine. We should keep going while we have the momentum." It seemed as if Weiss was trying to keep herself from losing her nerve.

"Woah, Weiss. Calm down. Ruby and Blake have a point. Regardless of how you feel about it, we should all stay on the same page. If Ruby needs a minute, we should take it now while we have one." Yang says, jumping to her sister's defense.

"Fine, you can wait here. I'll take care of it myself," and at that, Weiss opens the door and marches into the room.

As soon as she's fully across the threshold, the door slams shut behind her. "WEISS!" All three of the remaining members of team RWBY yell in unison. Ruby is desperately turning the handle, but the door remains shut.

"Watch out!" Yang yells, readying to throw all of her strength at the door.

"No," Ruby yells. "There has to be a different way!"

"We don't have time to find a different way. Move!" Ruby steps out of the way and Yang crashes through the door. Ruby and Blake are close behind her and they all draw their weapons.

Weiss is already in the middle of the room, which is considerably smaller than the first, surrounded by a small unit of Aesop's soldiers. The words 'False confidence often leads into danger' literally burn across the opposite wall. Ruby, activating her semblance, speeds across the short distance to the soldiers that surround Weiss and with a massive swing of Crescent Rose, takes out three of them. Pieces of armor crashing to the floor in her wake. Weiss lunges forwards and pierces the armor of the soldier directly in front of her, who shatters in mid swing of his sword. Using her glyphs, Weiss manages to launch backward to rejoin the rest of the team.

The remaining four soldiers begin to advance quickly towards each of them. Ruby takes hers out with a shot to the head from her sniper rifle. Weiss encases her enemy in a thick layer of ice and strikes, shattering the soldier along with the ice. She wields around, expecting to deliver a finishing blow, but to her surprise, the soldier's shattered armor is all that remains. Blake ducks into a low crouch as the soldier advancing on her thrusts his spear forward. She jumps over his head, slashing with the cleaving edge of Gambol Shroud's hilt. Spinning around before she lands behind him, she delivers the finishing blow, burying her blade into his neck. The soldier shatters before she even lands. Of all their attacks, Yang's looks the coolest. In a display of pure strength, she meets her attacker head on, landing a single punch straight to his chest. The soldier instantly shatters before Yang even follows through.

"What the hell?" Yang asks, holding the cracked helmet of the soldier she just defeated.

Blake picks up the remaining half of her soldier's helmet, holding it up to read the inscription etched into it. "It looks like these were the souls of others who have failed this test."

"Souls? Is that why they shattered?" Yang asks, throwing the helmet away.

"It's just my best guess."

"Weiss! Are you ok?" Ruby asks, running to her partner.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to get it over with and get out of here. I hate this place, it gives me the creeps." Weiss responds falling into Ruby's embrace.

"It's ok to be scared, Weiss. That's why we have each other. We have to stick together." As Weiss nods, the flaming words on the wall extinguish and cool to a glittering gold. Just like on the first floor, two torches burn to life on either side of the next door.

They regroup and exit the small room, descend two more flights of rickety wooden stairs, and end up at the door to the next room.

"Get ready. Something could happen just as fast as the last room," Ruby advises as she places her hand on the door knob.

 

The room that they enter is pitch black until the door closes behind them. As the door shuts, the very air seems to change and a strange scene plays out before them in the middle of the room under a single spotlight. There is a man, dressed in ragged clothing and crudely made leather armor. He is fighting for his life against, what was very clear to Ruby was, a corrupt king. The peasant is losing, badly, as the king taunts him with threats of murdering the man's wife and children, taking over his village, and enslaving all of its inhabitants. Ruby cannot watch any longer and runs forward.

"Leave him alone!" She shouts, catching the peasant as he his kicked to the ground. The king advances, lifting his sword high above his head to deliver the death blow, but before he brings the sword down, the peasant lifts his own, plunging it straight through the tyrannical monarch's heart. The man promptly faints and suddenly the entire room is light up. They find themselves in the middle of a medieval village, surrounded by onlookers. Weiss, Blake, and Yang try to rush to Ruby, but their way is blocked by villagers. A young man that could be no older than herself approaches Ruby.

"I think he's still alive!"

"What is your name brave maiden?" He asks her and her eyes flare wide.

"My name's Ruby but-"

"All hail Ruby! The brave maiden that saved my father and our village!" He screams, inciting the crowds cheers.

"No! Wait!" but her protests aren't heard above the villagers excited shouting. "STOOOOOOOP!" She screams at the top of her lungs.

"But Lady Ruby, we shall have a great feast in your honor!" He says, a strange gleam in his eyes.

"No! It wasn't me. It was him, your father. I got here just as he fell. He would have won either way." As the words leave her mouth, the scene dissolves except the young man.

"Very good young warrior," he says in a velvet tone as he bows, dissolving into dust with the rest of the scene around them. A ring of gold words appear at Ruby's feet as her team finally rushes to her side. 'They are not wise who take to themselves the credit due to others.'

"I guess Aesop doesn't know how good you are sis," Yang says and lightly punches Ruby's shoulder as they make their way across the room to the next door.

 

 

Once again, they all brace themselves as they enter the next level of Aesop's court. The door shuts lightly on its own behind them and torches, spaced about ten feet apart from one another along the wall, flare to life, reflecting weakly on the pitch black glassy floor. In spite of their flames, they are a poor source of light but give the group a sense of how massive the room is. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang begin to walk towards the center, braced and ready for a fight, but Blake shouts for them to stop.

"Ruby, don't put your foot down!" Blake yells, and Ruby lets out a small squeak when she sees the small black button directly under her boot. "Nobody move," Blake warns.

"What is it?" Yang asks, but Blake is looking up at the ceiling. The other three look up, and while Blake can see the maze work of planks, platforms, chains, ropes, pulleys, and an array of weapons suspended in mid-air all made from the same deep black material as the floor, the rest of the team can't.

"Of course," Weiss begins. "You're the only one who hasn't had a test yet and I'm sure you're the only one who can _properly_ see what's going on up there." Weiss and the others were squinting, hard, to see anything above them.

Blake has no response to Weiss' summary of the current situation. She's too busy trying to figure out the puzzle above her head. "There's another pit in the floor. We have to try and lower the planks, but it's tricky. I can't really see with so much in the way." Even with her faunus eyes, Blake is squinting into the near-perfect darkness. At this new information, Ruby looks around, scanning the floor. The only way to see the pit is by noticing the lack of reflection from a span of five torches on the wall.  

"Blake, can I put my foot down?" Ruby asks, becoming very unsteady on the one foot she's balancing on.     

"I just need to figure out the first…" Blake's eyes drop to the floor, following a seemingly imaginary line. "Step on the switch."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asks skeptically.

"The switch next to your right foot will bring down the guillotine blade above your head. There are no other switches except for the one under Ruby's left foot." They all look up, horror-struck, but they can't see the thin blade poised above Weiss' head. Ruby steps on the switch and the torches glow a fraction brighter as a plank descends, fitting onto the edge of the pit. Blake frowns at the bare plank, "I thought there'd be another switch." She looks back into the rafters and a soft "oh" escapes her as she now recognizes the complexity of the puzzle. As the plank fell, the rope suspending the next platform was pulled across the path of the guillotine blade. The chain suspending the blade was pulled back considerably as well, no longer posing a threat to the party.

"Weiss, step on your switch." Blake directs.

"Excuse me? Didn't you say that switch will send a guillotine blade crashing down?!" Weiss argues.

"That blade cuts the rope for the next platform. It doesn't have enough length to come completely down anymore." Blake answers, and Weiss lets out a huff as she squints at the smooth black floor for the switch.

"Are you completely sure about this?" Weiss asks as she locates the small button on the floor.

"You're going to have to trust me."

Weiss takes a deep breath before stepping on the switch. A loud metallic _clink_ of a device disengaging rings throughout the room and the blade comes crashing down, severing the rope of the platform, and stopping a foot above Weiss' head. As with the previous switch, the torches begin to glow marginally brighter and the group lets out a deep sigh of relief.

 

Their progress is slow going, and understandably so. Each time any of the ropes or chains move, the puzzle changes and Blake takes her time to carefully study the changes. Some platforms require several steps involving axes and blade dropping around them to sever ropes. Some require one person to stand on one switch to hold a blade in place while another engages a separate switch to drop the next piece of the winding path across the fifty-foot chasm. By the time they reach the last piece of the puzzle, they are only about ten feet away from the other side, and the lights are now bright enough for everyone to see the edge.

"Can't we just jump from here?" Yang asks.

"Pulling that lever next to you is a better option. Unless you want to be the one to trigger the pressure plates to drop a two-foot row of spikes on your own head," Blake smirks playfully at Yang. Sure enough, when Yang pulls the lever, the final piece fits onto the path, triggering the pressure plates and spikes with it. When they reach the other side, the two torches directly ahead of them begin to burn bright blue. 'Do nothing without a regard to the consequences' glitters in gold above the newly appeared door and they exit the room.

 

At the bottom of the last flight of stairs, they all stare at the final door. Made of pure gold, a silver lion's head with a crown of laurels set in the middle.

"This is it you guys," Ruby says, swallowing hard as she reaches for the silver doorknob. "Ready?" Her teammates nod and she opens the heavy door.  

They step into a silver white spotlight as the door smoothly shuts without a sound behind them. Suddenly, a loud heartbeat fills the room as two points of yellow light glow to life in the center of the room. They each draw their weapons and at that exact moment, the spotlight breaks it's focus, flooding the room with bright light. There, rising up from a kneeling position, is an enormous red iron giant. The team braces themselves as it brings down a massive cleaver, sending shockwaves when it lands, embedded in the marble floor.

"Uhhh, any ideas?" Yang asks in an uneasy voice.

"Maybe if we don't attack it, it won't attack us?" Ruby says, but as soon as the words leave her mouth, the giant waves the cleaver in a massive arc at them.

Skidding backward to evade the attack, Weiss queues up a glyph, bringing Myrtenaster up to striking position. "I've got this," she says, before launching forward, slashing in an elegant upward strike. The iron giant isn't at all phased by the attack, in fact, it catches Weiss before she even makes contact and throws her back across the room. Yang dives to catch her while Blake takes up the task of distracting the giant. Dust clone after dust clone are slashed through with ease until Blake can no longer outrun the massive blade her opponent wields. She pulls back, leaving one final stone clone to cover her escape.

"What were you thinking?!" Ruby shouts as she runs to Weiss' side.

"Well that worked on the other knight," Weiss says, brushing herself off as she stands.

"That's it!" Ruby cries excitedly.

"What's it?" Weiss asks hesitantly as if she knows what Ruby is about to suggest.

"Use your summoning!"

"I hate to interrupt, but we've got to think of something, _fast,_ " Yang says. Ruby and Weiss hadn't noticed that it was Blake and Yang that had been holding off the iron giant.

"Have you forgotten that it was only an arm I summoned?" Weiss tries to talk Ruby out of this plan, but the young leader is already running into the battle.

"We'll distract him for you!" She cries before jumping and slicing at the giant's head. Crescent Rose bounces painfully off of the armored head, sending Ruby backwardand dazed. Yang manages to punch the giant's hand off course as it brings the cleaver down above Ruby.

Weiss stands, piercing through the marble floor with her own weapon, a glyph spinning and pulsing wildly around her. She concentrates hard, even harder than in the few training sessions with her sister, but nothing is happening. The time she had managed to summon the arm and longsword of the enchanted armor she had fought so long ago, it had been during the battle of Beacon, and one of her allies had been in grave danger. Weiss tightens her grip on the handle of Myrtenaster and sets her stance just a tad wider, her mind quickly flooding with nitpicking thoughts about her form and technique. The glyph pulses slightly stronger as Blake manages to dive out of the way of the massive hand coming down to smash her into the floor. Yang was next in the giant's line of attack, but as it brought the cleaver over it's head, Ruby activates her semblance and body slams her sister out of the way. Unfortunately, there would not be enough time for Ruby to evade the attack. Ruby realizes this, holds Crescent Rose up, bracing herself for the inevitable impact. The cleaver seems to move in slow motion as panic and adrenaline pulse through Weiss' veins. Her eyes flare wide in shock as a bright white, equally giant suit of armor crosses the distance in a single stride, blocking the death blow with it's longsword. This affords Ruby the few seconds she needs to escape and the rest of the team pulls back. They watch, catching their breath, as the knight fights the giant. Blow after blow exchanged between deadly weapons, but the iron giant isn't phased by any of the hits it takes, in fact, it doesn't even seem to be trying very hard to block.

"What?! How is it not even scratched?!" Yang exclaims watching the fight.

"At least we have some time to come up with another plan," Blake says, reloading a dust cartridge into Gambol Shroud.

"Look!" Ruby yells, pointing at the battle in front of them. The knight kneels, dodging a lazy swing of the giant's cleaver, and strikes upward at the giant's arm. With speed none of them would think the massive creature could possess, the giant brings the cleaver around to block the blow. It could have been her eyes playing tricks on her, but Ruby would have sworn the giant's eyes began to glow brighter. After that blocked strike, the giant wasn't playing games anymore.

"That has to be its weak point. Right there, under the arms." Blake explains.

"So what do we do about it?" Yang asks, realizing her fists would be useless in this situation now, and feeling useless was not something Yang took very well.

Ruby had already been working on the plan the minute she saw the blocked strike. "We'll rush it. It looks like it's actually fighting now, so we'll need as much speed as possible. Yang, you shoot Blake up on the right side. I'll take Weiss to the left and she can glyph strike. It's gotta be quick. As soon as Weiss ends the summon we have to strike. Ready?!"

Yang punched her fists together and took the end of the ribbon Blake hands her, ready to shoot off like a rocket and tow Blake along with her. Ruby retracts the scythe of Crescent Rose, taking careful aim at the giant's head. The shot cracks through the sounds of battle, ricocheting violently off of the giant's head, dazing it for a fraction of a second. That fraction was enough for the knight to bring a powerful strike down, and the giant lifted it's cleaver, using both hands to block the crushing blow.

"NOW!" Ruby yells, and Yang, propelled by Ember Celia, takes off. Ruby, knowing the time it would take Weiss to pull out of the summon and grab hold, nearly tosses her partner up onto her shoulders mid launch. Weiss almost loses a hold on her weapon and for the duration of the short supersonic run, yells at Ruby. The two sets of teammates are poised and ready just as the summoned knight bursts into luminescent snowflakes.

Yang stops right on her mark, just under the giant's right arm, and pulls hard on the ribbon as she kneels, ready for Blake to land on her shoulders. As Blake's weight settles, she watches for Ruby and Weiss to make their move. If she would have blinked, she would have missed it. Ruby is only mere milliseconds behind Yang, but she sets her feet and settles into a low crouch, a human spring with an endless potential energy. The white glyph spinning at her head stains rose red and, in perfect unison, the sisters rocket their partners upwards, Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud bury to the hilt into the weak points. The giant freezes on the spot and the glowing eyes fade. Weiss and Blake draw their weapons from their opponent and land gracefully next to their partners as the giant begins to crumble into shimmering red dust.

 

Slow clapping reverberates from behind them and all except Blake turn to identify the source. There is a final phrase glittering on the opposite wall that fades as an ornate chandelier glows to life: 'There is always some vulnerable part in the strongest armor.'

"Excellent! Marvelous! A true display of might!" He exclaims.

Blake turns to face Aesop, a mysterious smirk settling across his features. " _That_ was our final test? To test our might?"

His smirk stretches wider. "Might makes right."

"Seems out of character for you," she taunts.

"Still so presumptuous miss Belladonna? We should never look so high as to miss seeing the things that are around us." Blake folds her arms across her chest.

"Will you tell us where Ozpin is now?" Ruby asks, trying to keep her tone as pleasant as possible.

He thinks for a moment, stroking his bushy beard. "Much wants more, and loses all."

"But we passed all your tests and we aren't quarreling amongst ourselves anymore," Weiss spits back at him.

"Yeah, and you said we were marvelous!" Ruby adds at the end of Weiss' argument with such ridiculous finality.

Aesop actually begins to laugh. "Flattery is not a proof of admiration."

Yang cocks her gauntlets in frustration, but Blake places a hand softly on her shoulder, effectively calming the hot-tempered brawler. "We don't want more. That information is why we came."

He smiles that mysterious smirk again as he chooses his response. "Very good, but you have been laboring under false pretenses."

"What?!" Ruby and Weiss both shout, but Blake has already realized what is going on.

"He never knew where Ozpin is," she clarifies.

"So what was all this for?!" Yang shouts.

Aesop scoffs, as if answering Yang's question is a waste of his time. "Incentive spurs effort."

"Effort towards _what_?" Weiss asks in a harsh tone startling Ruby from deep in thought.

Aesop frowns as he stands. " _That_ shall be your final test," and he turns, disappearing through an unseen exit.

The chandelier dims, leaving the room lit only by the same torches along the walls. As soon as the stillness settles upon them, a soft noise of comprehension emanates from Ruby. A door materializes directly under where Aesop had been sitting and four words in shining ruby, silver, onyx, and gold glitter to life above it.

'In union is strength'


End file.
